Maintenance: drop unused tap, fix Homebrew install URL, README drift - #13
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…cruft - Homebrew bootstrap now points at install/HEAD/install.sh instead of a hardcoded master branch, matching Homebrew's current recommended install command - Removed the buo/cask-upgrade tap; its only consumer (brew cu -a) has been commented out for a while, so the tap was doing nothing but adding overhead on every run - Removed an orphaned append_to_zshrc call that wrote a bare comment into .zshrc with no operative line following it - README updated to document previously-undocumented installed packages (rcm, reattach-to-user-namespace, gcc/xz/libxt/cairo/libyaml/coreutils, openrefine, iterm2) and flag likely thoughtbot-template leftovers for a follow-up tooling review
…e LTS Based on the external-validation pass (validation-prompt-tooling-2026-07-26.md), cross-checked against DSC's own consultation data and primary sources (Homebrew, Node.js, Astro, Positron docs) before adopting anything: Added (confirmed by real demand or a verified gap): - qgis, gdal: GIS is DSC's largest consultation topic; QGIS named explicitly in patron requests; gdal is the CLI companion for scripted geospatial work - duckdb: local SQL engine for querying/joining CSV/JSON/Parquet from the CLI - ripgrep: replaces the_silver_searcher (actively maintained, faster, no gap) - tealdeer: tldr command for quick example-driven CLI help - positron: Tim's primary IDE, alongside RStudio/VSCodium not a replacement - pixi, uv: Python packaging, now taught in DataSquad workshops and increasingly what researchers' own project configs already expect Removed (verified via `brew deps r` and `brew uses` on a real machine): - gcc, xz, cairo: confirmed transitive dependencies of `r` already; the explicit lines did nothing r wouldn't already pull in - libxt, libyaml: confirmed unused by anything in this script at all (libyaml is only needed by Ruby, which isn't installed here) Changed: - node -> node@24: unversioned `node` currently installs 26 (Homebrew's Current release), not 24 (Active LTS). Verified against Node's own release schedule and this repo's actual Astro consumers (jt14den-astro, DataSquad-International.github.io, OSPO_WEBSITE all require Node >=22.12/22.0). 26 happens to satisfy that today but is a silently moving target across runs, contrary to Node's own LTS-for-production guidance. node@24 is keg-only, so added an explicit `brew link --force` step. README updated to match, with a corrected Known Issues section: the remaining under-review packages (rcm, reattach-to-user-namespace, ctags HEAD build, vim, watchman, coreutils) are still undecided, and a caveat that a keyword-frequency claim from the external review (R now outranking Python in consultations) could not be reproduced from the underlying data -- the merged consultation dataset blends real patron intake with Trello project-card text duplicated once per comment, which distorts raw frequency counts.
- Added "Why this exists" and "How it works" sections explaining the problem (inconsistent, ad-hoc onboarding) and the design principles (idempotent, single source of truth, CI-tested, evidence-driven changes) rather than only documenting installation mechanics - Added a table of contents (README had grown long enough to need one) - Fixed the Requirements section: it previously listed Apple Silicon Big Sur alongside a leftover thoughtbot list of pre-Apple-Silicon macOS versions (10.9-10.15) with an unresolved "add architecture detection" TODO that no longer applies (DSC issues Apple Silicon MacBooks exclusively) - Fixed two pre-existing broken reference links (Zsh, ImageMagick were referenced but never defined) - Minor typo fixes carried over from the original (compatable, dependant)
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Summary
Commit 1 — mechanical fixes:
install/HEAD/install.shinstead of a hardcodedmasterbranch (Homebrew's currently recommended install command)buo/cask-upgradetap — its only consumer (brew cu -a) has been commented out, so the tap was pure overhead on every runappend_to_zshrccall that wrote a bare comment into.zshrcwith no operative line following itCommit 2 — evidence-backed tool review:
Ran an external validation pass on the full tool list, cross-checked against DSC's own consultation-request data and verified against primary sources (Homebrew, Node.js, Astro, Positron docs) before adopting anything — see
validation-prompt-tooling-2026-07-26.mdfor the full methodology.Added:
qgis,gdal— GIS is DSC's largest consultation topic; QGIS named explicitly in patron requests; gdal is the CLI companion for scripted geospatial workduckdb— local SQL engine for querying/joining CSV/JSON/Parquet from the CLIripgrep— replacesthe_silver_searcher(actively maintained, faster, no functionality gap)tealdeer—tldrcommand for quick example-driven CLI helppositron— alongside RStudio/VSCodium, not a replacementpixi,uv— Python packaging, now taught in DataSquad workshops and increasingly what researchers' own project configs already expectRemoved (verified via
brew deps r/brew useson a real machine, not guessed):gcc,xz,cairo— confirmed transitive dependencies ofralreadylibxt,libyaml— confirmed unused by anything in this scriptChanged:
node→node@24— unversionednodecurrently installs 26 (Homebrew's Current release), not 24 (Active LTS). This repo's actual Astro consumers (jt14den-astro,DataSquad-International.github.io,OSPO_WEBSITE) require Node ≥22.12/22.0, which 26 happens to satisfy today, but it's a silently moving target across runs.node@24is keg-only, so added an explicitbrew link --forcestep.README updated to match. Still open (not resolved in this PR):
rcm,reattach-to-user-namespace, ctags HEAD build,vim,watchman,coreutilsremain "under review";tableau-publicand ajamovipilot are flagged as follow-ups.Test plan
.github/workflows/smoke.yml)brew bundle check/list— no unknown formula/cask errorsshellcheck -s sh mac— no new warnings introduced beyond pre-existing ones